Fire hose backpack frame

Abstract

Presented is a backpack for use in carrying hose, such as fire hose, to locations where it is needed. The backpack includes a rigid metallic frame having at one end a hose support shelf on which at least two spirally coiled rolls of fire hose may be carried. Quickly engageable and releasable straps are provided to bind the coils of fire hose to the back frame, and shoulder straps and a waist strap are provided to suspend the backpack on the back of the wearer. All that is required of the wearer to release and deploy one or more coils of hose from the backpack is to tug on one end of a flexible cable, with the result that the quick-release straps that bind the coils to the frame are released, thus enabling the coils of hose to be deployed by a mere shrug of the shoulders.

I claim: 
     
       1. A backpack for carrying on the back of a wearer at least one hose spirally coiled as an integral unit about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the spirally coiled hose unit and having a central aperture formed about said axis, said spirally coiled hose unit being normally releasably bound as a unit to said backpack with said axis perpendicular to the back of said wearer, whereby said spirally coiled hose unit may be selectively quickly and easily unbound from said backpack and deployed by the wearer of the backpack while still wearing the backpack by the natural body movement of lowering the shoulder corresponding to the direction in which it is desired to deploy the unitary spirally coiled hose for extension and use after deployment, comprising: (a) a backpack frame assembly on which said at least one spirally coiled hose unit is adapted to be releasably supported and including a rigid frame portion having a first section oriented parallel to the back of a wearer when the backpack is donned and a second section on which said at least one spirally coiled hose unit is adapted to be supported;   (b) a shoulder strap assembly mounted on the rigid frame portion for suspending said rigid frame portion on the shoulders and parallel to the back of a wearer;   (c) a spirally coiled hose unit retention assembly means mounted on said first section of said rigid frame portion and extending around and through the central aperture of said spirally coiled hose for releasably retaining said at least one spirally coiled hose on said rigid frame portion with the axis of said coil perpendicular to the back of a wearer; and   (d) a spirally coiled hose unit release assembly means cooperatively associated with said hose unit retention assembly means and selectively manipulable by a wearer while the backpack is still donned to release from said first section of said rigid frame portion said at least one spirally coiled hose unit, whereby said spirally coiled hose unit may be deployed as a unit from said rigid frame portion by lowering the shoulder corresponding to the direction in which the spirally coiled hose unit is to be deployed from said second section.   
     
     
       2. The combination according to claim 1, in which a waist strap assembly is provided mounted on the first section of the rigid frame portion and adapted to circumscribe the waist of a wearer to prevent inadvertent separation of the rigid frame portion from the back of a wearer. 
     
     
       3. The combination according to claim 1, in which at least two spirally coiled hose units are juxtaposed and coaxially related and are adapted to be carried on said second section of said rigid frame portion, and said hose retention assembly includes means for releasably retaining bound to said rigid frame portion said at least two spirally coiled coaxially juxtaposed hoses as a unit, and means for releasably retaining each spirally coiled hose as an independent unit whereby each spirally coiled hose may be individually released and deployed for use. 
     
     
       4. The combination according to claim 1, in which said first section of said frame portion includes a quadrilateral back portion and said second section includes a cantilever hose unit support portion extending perpendicularly from one end of the quadrilateral back portion, whereby when said back portion lies against the wearer's back the cantilever hose unit support portion extends rearwardly from the lumbar region of the wearer. 
     
     
       5. The combination according to claim 4, in which said quadrilateral first section of said rigid frame portion is trapezoidal in configuration and includes an upper integral cross-bar constituting a handle by which the backpack may be suspended in the hand. 
     
     
       6. The combination according to claim 4, in which said cantilever hose unit support portion comprises a generally rectangular frame integral with said first section of said rigid frame portion at the lower end thereof and defining a void adapted to receive a peripheral portion of the coiled hose unit supported thereon. 
     
     
       7. The combination according to claim 1, in which said first section of said rigid frame portion includes a pair of laterally spaced elongated arms lying in a common plane and having upper and lower ends, a first intermediate cross-bar rigidly connecting said arms at a point spaced from said upper ends, a second intermediate cross-bar rigidly connecting said arms intermediate the lower ends thereof and said first intermediate cross-bar, and a lower cross-bar rigidly connecting the lower ends of the arms, said shoulder strap assembly being mounted on and extending between said first intermediate cross-bar and said lower cross-bar and disposed on one side of the plane that includes said spaced arms, and said spirally coiled hose unit retention assembly is mounted on and extends between said first and second intermediate cross-bars on the opposite side of the plane that includes said spaced arms from said shoulder strap assembly. 
     
     
       8. The combination according to claim 7, in which said first section of said rigid frame portion possesses a trapezoidal configuration in which said laterally spaced elongated arms are non-parallel, and selectively releasable fastener means on said shoulder strap assembly. 
     
     
       9. The combination according to claim 7, in which said hose unit retention assembly includes a pair of flexible straps having corresponding end portions secured to said first intermediate cross-bar and having free opposite end portions thereon, a single strap having an intermediate portion anchored to said second intermediate cross-bar whereby the opposite end portions of the single strap are free, and means on the free opposite end portions of said pair of straps and the free end portions of said single strap for selectively releasably engaging one of said pair of straps to one of said end portions of said single strap and the other strap of said pair of straps to the other end portion of said single strap, whereby each said end portion of said single strap may be passed through the central aperture of a spirally coiled hose unit and releasably engaged to one of said straps of said pair to bind a hose unit to said rigid frame portion. 
     
     
       10. The combination according to claim 1, in which said spirally coiled hose unit release assembly is operatively connected to said spirally coiled hose unit retention assembly, whereby selective manipulation of said hose unit release assembly selectively deactivates said hose unit retention assembly to thereby release and enable a spirally coiled hose unit to be deployed from said second section of said rigid frame portion. 
     
     
       11. The combination according to claim 10, in which said hose unit release assembly includes a flexible cable having one end thereof anchored to said releasable hose unit retention assembly on one side of the first section of the rigid frame portion and the opposite end is accessible to the wearer on the opposite side of the first section of the rigid frame portion whereby a tug on the wearer-accessible end of the cable effects deactivation of said hose unit retention assembly to release the hose coil unit retained thereby. 
     
     
       12. The combination according to claim 1, in which said shoulder strap assembly includes a laterally spaced pair of flexible straps secured at one end adjacent the upper end of the first section of the rigid frame portion and secured at their opposite ends adjacent the lower end of the first section of the rigid frame portion, and releasable fastener means intermediate the ends of each strap manipulable to lengthen or shorten each strap. 
     
     
       13. The combination according to claim 12, in which said shoulder strap assembly includes a length of woven strap superimposed over and fixed to each of the flexible straps of said laterally spaced pair of flexible straps to form a passageway therealong, and said hose unit release assembly includes a flexible cable having one end thereof anchored to said releasable hose unit retention assembly and an opposite end portion slidably disposed in said passageway on the associated shoulder strap, whereby the free end of said cable is accessible to said wearer to selectively effect longitudinal displacement of said cable to thereby deactivate the hose unit retention assembly to release the coiled hose unit normally releasably retained thereby. 
     
     
       14. The combination according to claim 1, in which said hose unit retention assembly includes at least one two-part flexible strap opposite ends of which are anchored to said first section of said rigid frame portion, and selectively releasable fastener means on the corresponding free ends of said two-part flexible strap remote from said first section of said rigid frame portion and manipulable by the wearer from the opposite side of the first section of the rigid frame portion to selectively disengage the associated corresponding free ends of said two-part flexible strap to release and enable deployment of said hose coil unit when disengaged. 
     
     
       15. The combination according to claim 14, in which said hose unit retention assembly comprises a pair of two-part hose retention straps of unequal lengths for releasably retaining two hose units on said rigid frame portion, and said releasable fastener means on said corresponding free ends of said pair of two-part straps comprises complementary "hook" and "felt" surfaces adapted to releasably engage when pressed together and adapted to release when said hose unit release assembly is deactivated. 
     
     
       16. The combination according to claim 1, in which said hose unit release assembly includes a flexible cable slidably mounted on said shoulder strap assembly for axial displacement, a first end of said flexible cable terminating intermediate the ends of said shoulder strap whereby said first end of the cable may be grasped by the wearer to effect longitudinal displacement thereof when said cable is tugged, and the opposite end of the flexible cable is attached to said hose unit retention assembly whereby when said flexible cable is displaced longitudinally by a tug on said first end thereof said hose unit retention assembly is deactivated to effect release and enable deployment of a hose coil unit from said rigid frame portion.